Community
1 December, 2025
Fire fighters celebrate milestone.
Firefighters have spent 100 years protecting the Bowral community from the same building.
Firefighters have spent 100 years protecting the Bowral community from the same building.
A special ceremony was held at the station on Friday to celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary.
A volunteer fire brigade operated in a wooden building – also in Merrigang Street – from 1893 before the existing station was built in 1925.
Guests at Friday’s ceremony included Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell.
“A centenary is special and today is a great opportunity to acknowledge the firefighters and their families who have supported the Bowral Fire Station for 100 years,” he said.
The Commissioner joined Bowral Fire Brigade captain Rudi van der Meer and Wingecarribee councillor Tess Duffy in unveiling a plaque to mark the occasion.
“Our on-call firefighters are the backbone of our regional cities and towns, blending their existing work, business and family lives with a commitment to service and protecting communities,” the Commissioner said.
“Though firefighting equipment and operations have evolved over the years, our firefighters remain a constant presence and vital support for the community.”
The Commissioner spoke at length about the brigade’s connection to the community and said the centenary was a “hell of a lot” to be proud of.
He said the brigade served the community in a very visible way but also did a lot of work behind the scenes – particularly in relation to fire safety.
Commissioner Fewtrell acknowledged that retained firefighters played a ‘balancing game’ in terms of work, family and other commitments.
“It’s not an easy thing to do,” he said.
When it was first established, members of the Bowral brigade used a hand operated annual manual pump and hose reel.
In 1929, it received its first motorised engine, capable of pumping 250 gallons (or 1,100 litres) of water per minute.
Today the station is equipped with a modern appliance capable of pumping four times that amount.
Operationally it has responded to a number of significant incidents in recent years including a major ship fire in Port Kembla in 2018 and a bank fire in Bowral’s main street in 2021 which took crews three hours to bring under control and another five hours to extinguish.
Read More: Bowral, Southern Highlands